Traffic Officers Called Off Santa Monica Boulevard

Traffic control officers waved along the last cars on Santa Monica Boulevard four Sunset Boulevard intersections Friday until Aug. 14, according to Metro and Los Angeles Department of Transportation officials.

For the past three weeks, traffic control officers have been stationed at some 17 locations to help enforce the right of way after for reconstruction last month. 

"It was explained to the community that these TCOs would be in place for one week," Metro spokesperson Kasey Shuda wrote to Patch in an email. "Deployment from there would be on an as-needed basis."  

After the first week of the Wilshire ramp closures, traffic officers were reduced to six locations for the past two weeks, according to Shuda:
    •    Sunset Boulevard and Barrington Avenue
    •    Sunset Boulevard and Church Lane
    •    Sunset Boulevard at the northbound 405 ramps
    •    Santa Monica Boulevard and Beloit Avenue
    •    Santa Monica Boulevard and Cotner Avenue
    •    Santa Monica and Sepulveda boulevards

"Due to the fact that the Wilshire ramp closures have had little impact on traffic, and July is the lightest traffic month, the project decided to remove the TCOs to reserve resources for a later time," wrote Shuda. "The project does not have the resources to fund TCOs at Sunset for the remaining weeks leading up to the Sunset bridge opening, which is scheduled for early to mid September."

Metro will monitor traffic at the affected intersections and will deploy traffic officers if it is deemed necessary, according to the agency.